Melburn Ross Mayfield

Professor Melburn (Mel) Ross Mayfield died 20 September 2013 in Clarksville, Tennessee at the age of 92. He was the founder of the Department of Physics at Austin Peay State College (later University, APSU) in Clarksville. He was an inspired teacher, a witty and erudite author, a beloved mentor, a leader in scientific societies at the state, national and international levels, and one of the best recruiters of students to physics the discipline has ever seen.

Mel Mayfield was born in McLean County, KY on August 24, 1921. He served in the 44th Infantry Division and the 71st Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army during World War II where he achieved the rank of Corporal. He served in the European Theater of Operations as a Radio Operator for Forward Observer at the Observation Post of Cannon Company. He received several medals for the American Theater, including the Bronze Star for meritorious service in Combat.

After serving in the military, Mel earned bachelors degrees in both English and physics from Western Kentucky State College, and graduated with a masters degree in physics from the University of Florida (the highest degree then offered). He began his career in higher education in 1950, teaching physics at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He came to Austin Peay in 1957 to found the Department of Physics, where he served as professor for 30 years (14 of those years as Department Chairman). During his tenure at Austin Peay, Professor Mayfield was also called on to serve the University as Vice President for Development and Field Services and Executive Director for University Advancement. Retiring in 1987, Mel was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus for his many years of distinguished service to the university, its administration and faculty, and generations of students.

Professor Mayfield believed in introducing undergraduate physics students to research as early as possible. To this end, he supervised an atmospheric radiation monitoring program on the APSU campus in the 1960s. Among other accomplishments, the APSU monitoring station was one of the first in the U. S. to detect the first Chinese atomic bomb test on 18 October 1964. Other research, teacher training, philosophical, and humorous contributions by Mel Mayfield can be found in his numerous publications from 1950 to 1983. Mel was also very proactive in finding summer jobs with science and technology employers for APSU students at a time when small state colleges never thought to offer that kind of assistance. Many APSU students owe their careers to his foresight in this regard.

From 1968 to 1972, Professor Mayfield had a unique influence on the production of high school physics teachers in the South. In 1968 he founded “Physics: The Program for Teachers” to train undergraduates specifically to be high school physics teachers. This was the first program of its kind in the country. Then, in 1970, with an NSF grant of 1.36 million dollars, The Program for Teachers was subsumed into The Center for Teachers, which was a comprehensive service organization designed to train and assist both pre-service and in-service teachers of high school science and mathematics. Mel was Director of The Center for Teachers for its first two years.

Further, Professor Mayfield had a great impact on physics and science teaching in the U.S. through his extensive involvement with the Tennessee Academy of Science (TAS), The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and The American Institute of Physics (AIP). He held several positions in the TAS, including president in 1966. In the AAPT, he served at different times as Regional Counselor, Tennessee Section Chairman, member of the Nominating Committee, member of the Executive Board, and as a member of several functional committees. Mel served the AIP as a member and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Secondary School Physics, a member of the Advisory Committee on Education and Manpower and as a member of the Editorial Board of The Physics Teacher. Internationally, he was the U. S. delegate to the “International Congress on the Education of Teachers of Physics in Secondary Schools” (held in Hungary) in September, 1970. During his career, Mel Mayfield was named to “American Men of Science” and “Outstanding Educators of America,” and was a recipient of the AAPT Distinguished Service Citation in 1976. He believed strongly in the value of professional societies, and introduced APSU students to them by taking several students, along with faculty members, to the annual TAS and Southeast Section of APS meetings.

Professor Mayfield’s most direct contributions to physics were his training of several generations of high school physics teachers, both through The Center for Teachers, and through his tireless recruitment of the best talent for the field, his continuing personal mentoring of individual students, and his generous care of students with family or financial problems. Mel worked closely with the local business community to establish APSU’s first physics scholarships and lab assistantships. When a worthy student’s financial needs did not fit scholarship requirements, Mel often helped them from his own pocket. Many of his students also went on to be university professors, researchers, and leaders in the state and Federal Governments, particularly in the Departments of Defense and Energy. Mel Mayfield’s dedication to his students did not end with his retirement in 1987. He continued to mentor, advise, and care for all former students who stayed in touch with him. He was an exemplary role-model for what a professional scientist, scholar and teacher should be.

Ronald I. Miller, DoD/DIA/Missile & Space Intelligence Center (Ret.)
L. Dudley Miller, National Ground Intelligence Center (Ret.)
James M. Roe, Computer Sciences Corp. (Ret.)